Infant
Massage Inspires Parental Confidence
Phyllis HanlonMay 11, 2015
The
arrival of a new baby can provoke both excitement and a bit of fear in even the
most confident mom and dad.
But in some cases, that confidence
may begin to erode as baby cries, fusses, refuses to nurse or demonstrates some
other upsetting behavior. While studies have shown that massage can help calm a
stressed infant, they also indicate that parental confidence can realize a
boost from touch therapy with their baby.
Decades-Long
Tradition
Vimala Schneider McClure, founder of
the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM), witnessed infant
massage in an orphanage in India in 1973. The incredible benefits she saw
prompted her to found her specialized organization to promote the practice. She
points out that infant massage has been an integral part of caregiving
tradition in many countries around the globe for decades—and for several good
reasons. She asserts that, among other benefits, infant massage empowers
parents, giving them the means to become experts on their own children and
making them better able to respond to each baby’s unique needs.
In a paper titled “Infant Massage: Communicating Love Through Touch,”
Juliana Dellinger-Bavolek, M.S.E., certified infant massage instructor, reports
that parents cite increased feelings of competence in their parenting role.
They also feel more capable of helping their infant relax during stressful
times.
Another expert, Elaine Fogel
Schneider, Ph.D., C.I.I.M., founder and executive director of First Nurturing
Touch Communication, a nonprofit educational corporation that assists families
as they develop safe and nurturing relationships, and Baby Steps, a
family-focused early intervention program that introduces families to the world
of touch and the importance of bonding and attachment as they learn to see
their child first and their child’s disability second, reaffirms the confidence-boosting
power of infant massage. She indicates that infant massage creates and
strengthens physiological, social-emotional and mind/body/spirit connections
for both parent and baby; social interaction is significant for parents’ well
being, Schneider adds.
Competence
and Confidence
The biggest endorsement for enhanced
parental confidence through infant massage
comes from Tiffany Field, Ph.D., founder and director of The Touch Research
Institute, which has conducted more than 100 studies. Since 1992, she has
explored the benefits of many different forms of massage and encourages the
practice of infant massage as a way to promote a sense of competence and
confidence for parents.
Amy Murry, certified health coach
and owner of Human Body Works Massage Therapy in Olympia, Washington, finds
lack of confidence a common issue with many new parents.
“I think that sometimes new parents
want to do everything just right and feel like the first few times they try infant massage
they are somehow unsuccessful because the baby is squirmy or fussy. They start,
but aren’t sure they are ‘doing it right’ and then stop,” she says. Although
they are unsure of their technique, she encourages new moms and dads to
persist. “After developing a routine, both parent and baby learn each others’
quirks and bond into their routine.”
Murry notes that she massaged all
three of her children as infants.
“One loved to lay there and receive
a long soothing massage. Another loved to try to crawl away and wrestle and
giggle, and my colicky one had a very short timeline for very specific massage
to his areas of tension. Consistency in practice and flexibility to one’s ideas
about what you had envisioned as ‘infant massage’ is key,” she asserts.
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